The Church of Scotland Bridgeton, St. Francis-in-the-East Report of the Trustees and The Annual Accounts for the year to 31 December 2024 Congregation No: 161058 Charlty No: SC012535 Reference and AdmIn￿tratIVe Informatlon Charity Name.. Brnlgeton, Sl. Frwus-in-Ihe-East Church of Scotland. Glasgow Charlty ReglstratSon Number. SC012535 Congr&s8tiofi Roleren￿ No.. 161058 Centscl Address.. 26 Queen Mary Street 8ridgelo Glasaow G40 3BB Trustees: Kirk Session Congregational Board [?] Principal Office-bearers lllterim Moderator". SeJ¥on Cletl('. Clgrk to the 8oard'. Church Tre¥surtr'. Independent Examiner Bankers Royal Banh of Scoland, Glasgow Parkhead IBI Branth 1304 Duke Street Glasgow G31 SPZ 13] Trustees, Annual Report Year ended 31 December 2024 Structure, Governance and Management Governing Document The Ctturch is administered in aw)rdance wilh the terms of Ihe Deed of Conslrtution. Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees Members of the Kirf( Session and the Congregational Board are the charity tnjstees. The KÈrk Session members are the eldeis of the church and are chosen from those members of the church who are considered to have the appropriate grfts ancf Skills. The minister, who 15 a membeT of the KÉrk Session. is elected by the o)ngregab"on and ind[￿ted by P￿$bYtery. The Congreg81ion81 Boar(I comprises of elders and members appoinled from within the congregation. Members of the congregation are invited to nominate Indiv￿ua1S who are believed to have the skills and commitment lo contribute to the management affaÉrs of the thurch to become these members of the Board who are then apwinted at the Stated Annual Meth"ng and serve for a penod of up to three years. Organisational Structure The Congregational Boarcl 18 thaired by the mintster and usually meets five times in a year. Certain responsibilities are delegated lo the Fabric Committee as appropriate. The Kirk Session. whid) also usually meets five limes a year, 1$ responsib￿ for the spiritual affairs vAthin the churth. Objectives and Activities The Church of Scotland is Trinitarian in doctrine. Refomied in tradilion and Presbyterian in polity. It exi*s to glorify God and to work for the advancement of Chrisys Kingdom throughout the wortd. As national Church, it a¢kno￿edge5 a distinctive call and dirty to bring the ordinances of religion to the people in every parish of Scotland through a territorial ministry. It cfropeiates wrth other Churches in VdiiUUS eLuiiieiii￿l iii Swlldiid ¢iiid ￿yurILl. As PdiL ul Uie Cliuidi uf SwU¢iiid Biidyeluii, 81. Francis-in-Ihe-East Church has a mming service of worship every Sunday. Our activities during the rest of the week are The Guild. Forxl Bank. Communty Café and Charity Shop. In addth'on to this, we also participate annually in the local Wortd Day of Prayer SeNice. the Bridgeton Fun Day and in the Amiislice Service at Bridgeton Cross. We have services durin9 Holy Week and have wedding5 and funerals when requested. We are cJJrTently in a cluster 3 other churches, Rutherglen Old, Ruth@rglen West & Wardlawhill and Fernhill & Cathkin, but have recently made a connection with Tolkross Cau$ewayside Church and are looking al a ￿tential linkage with wlh Causewayside in the lure. We a￿ also tsw.nned wth NevAands South Church. We prfyjuce our own quarterty church magazine called "Challenge.. We have a churth website br! J .e*rLf:Stlran,= 4¢ Wlysi:e.comichur¢h, a FaceiK)ok page. Twttter page ar￿ YouTube channel Whe￿ we stream our Sunday servtes. We pathipate in Christian Week. organising several fvndraising events and special Christian Aw Setvice, raising money for some of the wodd's poorest people. We also support Lodging House Mission with several food & mnetsry collerAions during the year. Our Churth has representation on the board of Church House. Bridgeton ISCIOI, the Bridgeton Dalmamod( Community Council and the Bridgelon Citizen's Advice Bureau. The thurch hall has also been rented by extemal gfOUPS and for private functions. {41 Achievements and Performance We h2ve continued through thè whole of 2024 in vacancy and have been blessed wilh gieat locum ministers. Interim moderator and the ongcing support of a dedicated congregation. The Piesbylery Plan process continues to be a long and d¥fficuII one, bth there is hope of progress going fomard and the church in general, and office bearers in particular, continue in prayer, persevering faith and joy. L)ur POOJbanK, Cornmunlry Cafe anu Charrty Shop lic worship. This reduction contributed to the deficit referred to above. As in the pr¢viou$ year, however. there were a number of ￿gnIfiCant indivldu&l one off d¢nations made during thè year. W¢ ar¢ extremely grateful lo those who $upport•d the Church in this way. General expenditure at £35,296 w8s higher than in 20231£32,4931 due mainly lo a large repaif to the roof and glrtlers. This increase In expen(Ilure contributed to the deficrt in the year. In 2024, members conts'nued their long-*anding practice of remembenng others. A total Df £543 was d(y)ated to a nurnber ol well deserved crgrkles. i.s] Looklng Forward There contknues 10 be much Un￿rtaintY as io whai Ihe future will hold lor churches IIKe Bridgeton Sl Francis In the Eajt. It seems that this uncertainty v￿1 wntinue for the foieseeable fvlur¢. It is the view of thè Trustee$ that the year ah•ad will not be an èasy one in financial terms. They havè particular concern that the formula for calculaling thè Giving to GIOW approved by the General Assembly penalise5 churches with smaller inconies compared to the larger churches with greater resour￿$ potentially available to them. Bridgelon Sl Francis ir the East is facing a 47Qk increase in 2025 compared wilh 2024. In addition, Bndgeton has lost one donor who 9ave extremely generously lo the church. These iwo la¢tors alone fflean that 2025 will most likely be another year of def￿11. It is foituaate that the church's reseNes will Oe suffieient lo cover the likely losses. How long this can continue is difficult to assess. Thè Trustees will continue to raisè tha tsiuè of how Giving lo Grow is assessed in the hcpe that the church at la￿e will be wlling lo review the prèsent arrangements and have the courage lo arrive al a mlye equrf(able awroach for 811 Ghurches, large and smal. ReseNes Policy During thè year, the Trustee$ did not aLrthorigè aTry tran$fers btheen fiJnd$. 11 is recommended that the Trustees should keep the level ol all funds under congtanl review and Ihal. if necessary. further t￿nSfer$ can be made durirKJ the year. The purposes of individual fvnds are detaI￿d in Note 2 to these attounls. Statement of Trustees. Responsibilities Thè members of the ￿'rk Sessionlcororegalional Board must prepare finanaal stalemerts whth give suffiaenl detail ta enable an appreciation of the transartions of the Church during the financial year. The memters of the Kirk Session I Con9regalionaS Boartl are responsible for keeping proper accounb.ng records which, on request, must reflect the financial position of the Church at that bme. This must be done to ensure that Ihe financial Statements compty with tP.e Charrt*s and Trustee In¥e8lmenl (Scotlandl A¢t 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotlandl Regulations 2006 las afflendedl and the F2egulations Anent Congregation31 Finance approved by the Genera,, Assembly of the Church of Scotl8nd in 2016. They are also reS￿nSIbl8 for safeguarding the assets ol the Church and must take reasonable steps lor Ihe prevention andlor detection of fraud and othèr negularth"e$. Approved by th6 Tm$t•o4 and slgn•d on th•lr b•half Session Clerk Date 9 March, 2025 [61 Bridgeton St Francis-in-the-East SC012535 Report of the Independent Examiner l ftport on th& ￿ctsunts tsf the charity for the year ended 31 Decernber 2024, which are sel out on Pa3es 8t0 11. Respectiv* reswn5ibilities of truste￿ and examiner: The Gharity trustees are responsible fvr tne preparaiion of (he accounts In accord8nee the terms of the Charities and Ttustee Investment (Scotlandl Act 2005 and th¢ Charities AcGounts (Scotlandl R69ulations 2006 las amended). The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement ol Regulation 10 111 (dl ol thè Accounts Regulations does not apply. 1115 my Tesporsibility to examine the acoiunls under section 44111 Icl of the Act and to stste whether particular matters have come lo my attention. Basls of Indepgndent examlnfjr's ststwnent My examination 1$ (arried OL¢t in accordance with Re9alation 11 of the Charltses A¢¢ounts Iscouandl Regulations 2006 las amen(kdl. An examination ircI￿leS 8 review of the accounting ￿¢tsrdS kept by thè thanty and a Comparison of the a￿Ount$ prg$gnted with those ￿cordS. It also includè5 consideration of any unusu81 items or discl)sures in thè sccounls. and Seeking explanations from the trust￿5 conceming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not prowde all the evidence that would be required in an audit. and Consequently I do not express an audff opinion on the accounts. In¢YeKendent examiner's statement. In the c￿rSe of my examination no tnattei has come to my attenllon which 9ives me reasonable cause to believe that in any mattrrial re$peGI the requiraments.. to ko6p aecounling records in accordance with Section 44 111 lal of the 2005 Act and Règulstion 4 Jt the 2008 Ac-ount$ RggulationÈ las am6ndèdl'. and to prepaie accounts which accord with the accounting records and Comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Ao-ounts Regtslat'ons las amended) have not been rnet. or lo which, in my opinion, attention str￿Uld be drawn in order LO enable a proper understanding of the accounts lo be reached. S¢gned.' Name.. Address.. Dale.. 10 March 2025 [7] Recelpts and Payment• AKount Year Etxlad 31 Decémb•r2024 Unr8strlctsd Ra8￿Cted FuTrds Fund8 Tctsl Total 2024 2023 Recelpts Donotsolls 28690 286 31170 Bank and tkposrt Int8rest l1w￿tr￿ent 626 703 219 273 Grart$ Aantals 1985 1986 152D Other 1513 1526 1621 T¢)tai Receipts Paymert¥ Chantatle AGbvitias I￿32 352 352* 32493 Restmcled Funds 76 557 Total Ptyments ReG•lpts 2013 Ststsm8llt of Bal8ncg¥ as at31 Decernbor2024 Llnrostsk¢•d Rèstrfcted Fynd# T¢ltal 2024 2024 2024 Balances brovghtforward Excess of P3yments o'ier Receipts Bal•Tr¢• ¢￿Tle1 forward 31604 11682 43287 4￿74 -3925 -838 2613 27618 522 IRvestn*nts at￿a￿et Value 3693 t0138 13731 12874 Tsx Due on S￿l￿O Donation¥ 4234 Con5011dated fabnc Proceeds from Sa￿ of the Mar&%e 433113 413449 The Trustees approved the accourts on 9 Marett 2025. For and on behalf of the Trustees.. Session Clerk Treasurer The Session Clerk and the Treasurer have signed the master copies of Accounts. They will be available for inspection at the Ainual Congregatioftal Mèèling. Notes to the Accounts Trn$to8 Remuneratlon and Relatsd Party Transactlons No trustee received any remuneration or reimbursement of expenses during the year. l Mov•math In Fund8 A6at ncomlng Outgolng R080urces RebourG&S 1.01.24 Yr•n8hws 31.1124 UDrestrtcted Funds Congregational Gweral Fund 23285 31301 352 19270 310 Bronze FurKS 122 Se55b)n Gweral Purptsses Total 24727 31370 352 20802 Desvjnaled Fabrfc Fund Totsl Unroslrlcted Ro5tsi¢t8d Funds Session Ben8YOtentFu 6655 249 The GLHld 1650 1513 16 2427 A88istsrfs Fund Total R8strlci8d Totsl Funds Purpose of Funds Unrestrictsd Bronze Fund Session General Purposes Designated Fabtic Fund - to support the needs of the Congregation - 10 8UPPOrt the needs of the wngregalion lo provide for any non-routine maintenance and repair required to maintsin the fabric of the church in ((s present condition Restricted Session Benevolent Fund The Guild Fund Assistant's Fund lo provide care for the poor of the parish to support the work of the Guild to provide administrative assistan￿ to the Church 3 Anaty81s of Don4tlorts Unrestrlcted Re8trl¢tsd 2024 Totsl Total 2024 2024 2023 WFO Schemg 32241 3224 4341 Gmt Aid DonatioDs 16978 16978 18803 Ta¥ Rècovered on GfftAtiY Tr)nabon5 Orthnary OTTeFing5 0th8r Offerfngs. DtsnalloTkS etc Total Oon*tlon8 4770 4770 5039 318 318 287 [9] Anaty618 ofPtymènts Unrnstrlded R68ts1ctsd Totsl Total 2024 2W24 2024 2023 Charwa￿t Acllvlti GI￿￿$t¢ Grow Pfesbytery Dues 3621 3821 2552 1381 1381 $52 Expen5e5 VacancyCost5 1(￿93 10093 12289 Otherstaffingc05ts Routlne Fabrlc Repai￿ & Malntènan¢e f2 8200 1876 De51gfiated Fabric Fun Otherbuiklingcosts Church Of[￿e Eipe OtheF Expens 4￿4 1LKJ78 10078 8785 638 638 1875 Total Expon•@s S. Fu#d8 on behall ofthe ¢ongregatlot) by thè Churth of Stotland Inve&tor¥ fry8t 2024 2023 Growth Fund Kirk $955ion Benevo￿1 Fund 69) rk Se¥61on GÈnwai Purw58s Fund Incomg Fun 197 197 Kirk 8otoion 8onovoknnl F￿d Totsl atco¥t Market Value 12590 11590 Revenue GFF Logn 14 Totsl Inv88tsnent8 Ofwhich.. Unre5trl¢ted 3693 3416 RestrittÈd IW38 9258 6. Fund¥ hold on b8haNof tho Congrégation by Ihe Church ol Scotl•t7d Genoyal Trtsstée C0llsolid•tqd F8brtc Fund PrO￿e4$froM sale of the Manse.. Capital 39￿0 rievenue 444 Total [ioJ 7. Ministerfs Stlpend All Church of Scotland congregations ¢ontribule to the National Stipend Fund. which bears the ¢osts of all Ministers, stipends and employers ￿ntributIOnS for national insuran￿, pension and housing and loan fijnd. Ministers. stipends are paid in accordance wth the national stipend ￿ale, which is relaled to years of service. For the year under review the minimum sts'pend was £31,642 and the maximum stipend lin the fifth and subsequent years) was £38,884 8. ¢oUection8 for Thlrd Partl•8 2024 Parffir￿0n8 135 otti%h Bib￿s0(￿t¥ £rskine Hospitsb LodgIn8H￿se Missl Church Koissè 155 163 L((J MPIOScotlaThY 192 Cth5tKgn AldTurkeylSyr￿8pp¢èI Fur￿ DisbuY800